NFL scout makes huge prediction about Falcons' Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr.

Shortly after the Atlanta Falcons surprisingly made quarterback Michael Penix Jr. the eighth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, multiple analysts mentioned how Atlanta could name Penix their full-time starter in the spring of 2025 even though the club signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180M contract that included $100M guaranteed this past March.

For a lengthy piece produced by Jeremy Fowler and Marc Raimondi of ESPN, an unnamed "veteran league scout" said that "it's hard to believe Penix would sit for the two years that align with Cousins' contract guarantees." Penix turned 24-years-old in May, while Cousins will be 36 when the upcoming season gets underway.

"Ideally, you'd like for (Penix to be the backup longer)," the scout explained. "I don't think that will happen. With a few exceptions, that's just not the trend in the NFL."

As recently as last week, Falcons owner Arthur Blank declared that Cousins "is our franchise quarterback" and "our starting quarterback" who ideally has "three to four great years in front of him" atop Atlanta's depth chart. With that said, some have already linked Cousins with the Dallas Cowboys as Dallas starter Dak Prescott remains in the final year of a deal that prevents the Cowboys from trading or tagging him.

A source "with direct knowledge" confirmed to ESPN that the Falcons spending pick No. 8 of this year's draft on any quarterback "never came up as even a remote possibility" during free-agency conversations between the club and Cousins. While Cousins seemingly has handled the situation as professionally as one could, it's possible both he and the organization could want to go their separate ways if the Falcons fail to reach the playoffs in January 2025.

As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Atlanta as the betting favorite at -120 odds to claim the NFC South division crown for the 2024 season. Even if the Falcons achieve that goal, their front office could explore moving on from Cousins if he fails to guide the team to a postseason victory or if he ends the campaign as an injured spectator after he suffered a torn right Achilles last October.